Improvement in liquid-meters



' T. L. WITT.

LIQUID-.METER No 174 335 Patented Feb. 29,1876.

Wfl em? es MyW n i TPETEHS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D CA Y To all 'whom t may concern:

. flow of the liquid passing through said passages 2 is a horizontal section of the same on the Nrrnn STATES TENT GERMANY.

V|lviPRovEwnnu-r IN Specification formfng part of VLetters Patent No. 174,336, dated February 29, 1876;

` January 31, 1876.

LIQUID-METERS.

application filed Beit known that I, 'THEODOR LEOPOLD WITT, of Hchst, near Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new and useful Improvement in LiquidMete rs and Ido hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the yac companyingV drawing which forms. part of this specifica' tion.

My invention relates, primarily, to meters for measuring'the iiowof water through pipes; and it consists in passages and partitions formed in the case of a liquid-meter whichdirect the water in such a way that it enters in equal quantities through induction-ports in a separately-formed circular partition upon opposite sides of a chamber inclosing a rotating` lioat or bucket wheel, and flowsout in equal. quantities through eduction-ports formed in said circular partition upon opposite sides to secure an equalization of fluid-pressure upon said oat-wheel, and prevent the accum ulatiou of impurities in the meter, and so that the and ports shall, in part of its course, be in a horizontal circularl arc, and during this part of its progress, impinging upon the iioats or buckets of said [ioat or bucketwheel, it shall. impart rotary motion to said wheel,the central shaft of which imparts motion to a train of registering mechanism.

Figure 1 in the accompanying drawing is a f side View of my improved liquid-meter. Fig.

line .r in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a Vertical section on the line y y in Fig. 2.- Fig. 4 is partly a side view of a portion of the meter, and partly a section on the line z z.

Similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The case or shell of the meter is, preferably, made in three sections, S1 S2 S3, which are, preferably, united by 'male and female screws, with suitable water-tight packing interposed between the shoulders of the joints 5 but iianges and screw-bolts may be used to unite the sections. The section S1 contains the oat or bucket Wheel W, which is, preferably, made up of the hub h, the web w extending outward from the hub, the rim r,which isv formed in its under side a socket which lits over the pivot p. The shaft s passes through a loosely-fitted bearing, b1, in the bottom of the section S2, and` its upper end is fitted in a loose bearing, b2, on the underside of the bottom of the section S3. On that part of the shaft s situated within the section S2 is awormwheel, 102,. which meshes into wheel w3 on they of strong glass, g, inserted watertightin the top. Of the said section S3. Vhen the sections are screwed together, as shown in Fig. 3, and

the meter is placed in position for Working, no

openin g exists in its Walls through which leakage can occur, as is the case when the registering apparatus is placed outside and connected with interior mechanism by stuling-boxes. In the section S1 are formed an inlet, I, and an out let, O, for the influx and efflux of the` liquid to be measured. Joined to and cast with the; section S1 are the partition-walls P1 P2 P3. The inlet I separates into two (2) water passages or courses, G1 G2, shortly after it enters the meter, the inner wall of these passages or courses, and also of the passages G3 C4 hereinafter described, being a circular partition, It, tted tightly into the-interior of the section S1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The said ring R, the bottom of the section S2, and the bottom of the section S inclose a cylindrical compartment, in which the ioat-wheel W revolves. The said wheel, however, does not closely it the walls of said compartment. The said ring R has formed in it ports ol o2 o3 o4 for the passage of the liquid as hereinafter Ferca.

opposite each other, vand the eduction-ports o2 and o4 also being opposite each other.

The passage U is terminated by the partition P1, as shown in Fig. 2, but communicates through the port o with the compartment in which the float-wheel W revolves. The passage C2 is bifurcated after it reaches the par tition P2, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, its upper and lower branches passing above and below said partition P2, said partition being rectangular and inclosing the first part of the eduction-passage U3. After having passed above and below the rectangular partition P2, the two branches of the passage C2 unite, as shown in' Figs. 2 and 4, and communicate through the port o3 with the compartment inclosing the iioat-wheel W. Joined to the partition P2 is the curved partition P3, which comple-tes the separation of the passage C2 from the passage 03. The walls of the passage C3 are thus cau'sed to penetrate through the passage G2. the separation of the said two passages being effected by the partitions l?2 and P3, and the passage U3 communicating directly with the outlet 0. The compartment containing the float-wheel communicates also with the inner end of the passage G4, through the port o4, which also communicates directly with the outlet O. The-direction of the flow of liquid through the meter is indicated by the arrows. The liquid, after entering the inlet I, divides into equal currents, fiowin g respectively through the passages C1 and G2, the ports 0 and o3 being of equal cross-section, and the opposite passages Gf()2 C3 C4 also being of equal cross-section. The partitions Pl and P3 are placed on lines nearly tangent with the circumference of the float-wheel W, and the liquid is directed by them in such a way that it acts to the greatest advantage upon the buckets b of said tioat-wheel, causing the said wheel to rotate.- After passing 'through the compartment inclosing the float-wheel, the Water issues from said compartment in equal quantities, respectively through the ports o2 and o4, and thence passes through the passages 03 and G4 and the outlet O. The induction and eduction ot' the liquid equally on opposite sides of the periphery of the float-Wheel W balances the pressure on the wheel, and consequently avoids side friction on the pivot p. The friction is thus reduced .to an amount due only to the bare weight of the float-wheel upon said pivot. Similarly' side friction is obviated upon the bearing b2 ofthe shaft s.'

The float-Wheel may be iliade of' light material, or may be constructed with enough airchambers to render it practically of the saine specic gravity as water, and this would practically reduce the friction of the said wheel W on its bearings to zero. The resistance left for the wheel to overcome would then be merely the vis inertia? of the train of registering mechanism t. This resistance will be lessened as the velocity of any part of the said registering-train is lessened, and I therefore interpose the train of worm-gearing 'L02 w3 '1,04 @v5 between the shaft s of the floatwheel W and the registering-train t, which transmits the motion of the said shaft s, but at an immediately and greatly reduced velocity. Practical experiments',l many times repeated, have demonstrated that the meter constructed as described Will, with both large and small quantities of water flowing through it, register the quantities within a very small percent- 'age of the entire volumes passed through the meter. The normal position of the wheel is that which will give it horizontal rotation, and hence the water is maintained on the same level from the time of its entrance into the meter till it reaches the outlet. There is, therefore, no accumulation of dirt in the me.- ter to obstruct its motion, all impurities being swept over a level door and out by the action of the liquid current.

v I claim- In combination with the circular partition surrounding the iioat-wheel W, and having the induction-ports o1 and o3 placed opposite each other, and eduction-'ports 0.2.a-nd o4L placed opposite each other, the section fSl having the inlet I and the outlet O, the passages C1 C2 U3 U4, and the partitions P1 P2 P3 to guide the liquid in its influx, and also in its efiuX, to opposite sides of the float-wheel W, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

TnEoDoR LEoPoLD WITT.

Witnesses:

WM. P. WEBSTER, yR. W. WEBSTER. 

